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PRAYING YOUR WAY OUT OF BONDAGE
PRAYERS EXODUS
AND
FROM LEVITICUS
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BOOKS BY ELMER TOWNS
Knowing God Through Fasting Praying the Psalms Praying the Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes Praying the Book of Job Praying the Book of Revelation Praying the Gospels Praying the Book of Acts and the General Epistles Praying Paul’s Letters Praying the New Testament Praying Genesis Praying Your Way Out of Bondage: Prayers from Exodus and Leviticus Praying For Your Second Chance: Prayers from Numbers and Deuteronomy
AVAILABLE FROM DESTINY IMAGE PUBLISHERS www.desinyimage.com
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PRAYING YOUR WAY OUT OF BONDAGE
PRAYERS EXODUS
AND
FROM LEVITICUS
Book Ten in Praying the Scriptures Series
Elmer L. Towns
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© Copyright 2009 – Elmer L. Towns All rights reserved. This book is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. This book may not be copied or reprinted for commercial gain or profit. The use of short quotations or occasional page copying for personal or group study is permitted and encouraged. Permission will be granted upon request. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NOTE: The translation of Scripture in the Book of Exodus, chapters 21, 22, 28-31, 36-39, and Scripture in the Book of Leviticus were taken from The Great Book: The Old Testament in Plain English, copyright Destiny Image, Shippensburg, PA. The Plain English Bible, copyright ©International Bible Translators, Inc. The author thanks Destiny Image Publishers for the use of this translation and the liberty to make adaptations to fit into prayer format. Also, the dates in Praying the Scriptures are taken and used from a study of these dates in the original Scofield Reference Bible, by C.I. Scofield, Oxford University Press, New York, 1907, 1917 and The Companion Bible with Structure and Critical and Explanatory Notes, by E.W. Bullinger, Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1964, 1970, and 1974. Please note that Destiny Image’s publishing style capitalizes certain pronouns in Scripture that refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and may differ from some publishers’ styles. Take note that the name satan and related names are not capitalized. We choose not to acknowledge him, even to the point of violating grammatical rules. DESTINY IMAGE® PUBLISHERS, INC. P.O. Box 310, Shippensburg, PA 17257-0310 “Speaking to the Purposes of God for this Generation and for the Generations to Come.” This book and all other Destiny Image, Revival Press, Mercy Place, Fresh Bread, Destiny Image Fiction, and Treasure House books are available at Christian bookstores and distributors worldwide. For a U.S. bookstore nearest you, call 1-800-722-6774. For more information on foreign distributors, call 717-532-3040. Reach us on the Internet at www.destinyimage.com. ISBN 10: 0-7684-2759-2 ISBN 13: 978-0-7684-2759-2 For Worldwide Distribution, Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 / 13 12 11 10 09
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DEDICATED TO STEVE AND SHIRLEY JONES I meet early every Sunday morning for prayer with approximately 15 to 20 people. This is my most important meeting each week, for these people pray for me. I couldn’t do what I do without their intercession. When I was told I had cancer, it was hard to accept because I had always been in excellent health. The first people I told outside my family were Steve and Shirley Jones because I know they intercede and their prayers get through. Today I’m again in good health as this book is finished. The cancer is gone, praise the Lord! I just had an annual CAT scan and the doctor said, “You’re clean as a whistle.” Thank you, Steve and Shirley, for praying for me; thank you prayer team. The Lord is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals…Hallelujah! With respect, Elmer Towns
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CONTENTS Prayers From Exodus ...........................................................13 Preface ....................................................................................15 Introduction ............................................................................19 Exodus 1: Israel in Egypt .........................................................................25 Exodus 2:1-25: The Birth of Moses ..................................................................27 Exodus 3: God Calls Moses .....................................................................35 Exodus 4:1-31: God Sends Moses to Egypt ......................................................39 Exodus 5: Moses and Aaron Speak to Pharaoh .........................................45 Exodus 6: Promise of Deliverance ............................................................49 Exodus 7: The Rod Becomes a Snake The First Plague—Water Becomes Blood ..................................53 Exodus 8: The Second Plague—Frogs; The Third Plague—Lice; The Fourth Plague—Insects......................................................57
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Exodus 9: The Fifth Plague—Sickness; The Sixth Plague—Boils; The Seventh Plague—Hail........................................................61 Exodus 10: The Eighth Plague—Locusts; The Story of Let My People Go; The Ninth Plague—Darkness ...................................................65 Exodus 11: The Tenth Plague—Death of the Firstborn ................................71 Exodus 12: The First Passover....................................................................73 Exodus 13: Remembering the Passover ......................................................81 Exodus 14: Crossing the Red Sea...............................................................87 Exodus 15: A Song of Deliverance .............................................................95 Exodus 16: Bread From Heaven...............................................................101 Exodus 17: The Battle Over Water ...........................................................107 Exodus 18: A Lesson in Leadership..........................................................115 Exodus 19: God Visits His People ............................................................121 Exodus 20: The Ten Commandments .......................................................125 Exodus 21: Consequences of Actions .......................................................131
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Exodus 22: Protection of Property............................................................135 Exodus 23: Justice ...................................................................................139 Exodus 24: Moses and the Elders Worship God........................................143 Exodus 25: Furniture in the Tabernacle.....................................................145 Exodus 26: Preparing the Tabernacle ........................................................149 Exodus 27: The Brazen Altar and Courtyard.............................................153 Exodus 28: Clothes for the Priests............................................................155 Exodus 29: Dedication of Aaron and His Sons .........................................161 Exodus 30: The Altar for Burning Incense ................................................165 Exodus 31: Workers Chosen to Make the Tabernacle.................................169 Exodus 32: The Golden Calf....................................................................171 Exodus 33: Moses Asks to See God..........................................................179 Exodus 34: Moses’ Face Shining ..............................................................189 Exodus 35: Gathering Materials to Construct the Tabernacle .....................197
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Exodus 36: Beginning Construction of the Tabernacle ...............................203 Exodus 37: Constructing the Ark of the Covenant.....................................207 Exodus 38: Constructing the Brazen Altar ................................................209 Exodus 39: Making the Priests’ Clothes....................................................213 Exodus 40: Putting the Tabernacle Together ..............................................217 Epilogue................................................................................225
Prayers From Leviticus .......................................................227 Preface: The Story of Writing Leviticus................................................229 The Story of Jesus Copying Leviticus ......................................233 Leviticus 1: The Burnt Offering ................................................................237 Leviticus 2: The Meal Offering .................................................................241 Leviticus 3: The Peace Offering ................................................................245 Leviticus 4: The Sin Offering....................................................................249 Leviticus 5: Sins Requiring a Sin Offering.................................................253 Leviticus 6: Sins Requiring Sacrifices ........................................................257
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Leviticus 7: The Penalty or Trespass Offering ............................................261 Leviticus 8: Aaron and His Sons Are Anointed .........................................269 Leviticus 9: Aaron Offers Sacrifices...........................................................275 Leviticus 10: Nadab and Abihu Were Killed................................................279 Leviticus 11: Clean and Unclean Foods ......................................................283 Leviticus 12: Cleansing After Childbirth .....................................................289 Leviticus 13: The Rules About Skin Diseases ..............................................291 Leviticus 14: Cleansing From Skin Disease .................................................297 Leviticus 15: Rules About Unclean Discharges ...........................................303 Leviticus 16: The Day of Atonement ..........................................................307 Leviticus 17: The Importance of Blood.......................................................313 Leviticus 18: Laws About Sexual Practices ..................................................317 Leviticus 19: Obey God’s Laws ..................................................................321 Leviticus 20: Punishment for Disobeying God’s Laws .................................327
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Leviticus 21: Rules for the Priests...............................................................331 Leviticus 22: Be Holy ................................................................................335 Leviticus 23: The Festivals..........................................................................339 Leviticus 24: Care of the Lamps .................................................................347 Leviticus 25: The Year of Solemn Rest ........................................................351 Leviticus 26: Blessings of Obedience and Curses of Disobedience ...............357 Leviticus 27: The Laws About Gifts Offered to the Lord..............................361 Epilogue................................................................................365
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PRAYERS FROM EXODUS
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PREFACE
P
raying the Scriptures is an exciting way to read the Word of God. Most simply read the Bible, which enlightens your mind, but in this volume you’ll pray your way through Scripture, which touches the mind, emotions, and the will. If you pray with all your heart, you’ll be transformed into the image of Christ (see 2 Cor. 3:18). The word Exodus means “way out.” This is an exciting story of how God provided a way out of bondage for His people in Israel who were slaves in Egypt. Over 550,000 men, plus their families, walked triumphantly away from their oppressive masters. Just as God gave deliverance to His people from tyranny, so today God delivers His people from the bondage to sin. Jesus said, “Whoever commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Then Jesus went on to say, “If the Son shall make you free, you’ll be free indeed” (John 8:36). The Lord transforms His people so they can worship Him, serve Him, and live their lives in freedom as a testimony to His power and sovereignty. Lord, change my life as I read this book so I can freely worship You and serve You. Every person on this earth has an enemy, whether they realize it or not. Satan is a roaring lion who seeks to eat us up (see 1 Peter 5:8). Satan wants people to worship and serve him, and when he’s finished chewing them up, he’ll throw them on the garbage heap of humanity. He’ll do that to you, just as he tried to do to Israel. God’s people entered Egypt in a favored position under Joseph. They were given the choice land in the Nile delta. They worked as herdsmen for Pharaoh, but over the next 300 years, they became the slaves of the Egyptians. Hard, cruel slave drivers beat them mercilessly to build the
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monuments of Egypt. When God’s people cried to God, He sent Moses to deliver them. This book describes the spiritual battle between the demonic forces of darkness in Egypt against the delivering power of God. It’s a historical war story of spiritual warfare. But Exodus is not just about old, dry history. It’s a picture of your battle today against the powers of spiritual darkness. Just as God delivered Israel from Egypt, He’ll also deliver you from sin’s slavery. How did God deliver approximately three million people from slavery? The same way God does it today! God lives among His people to show Himself strong. Today, God wants to live in your body to show Himself strong to the world. “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). This book continues the series Praying the Scriptures. I began writing this series five years ago (2004). Previous books released in this series: Praying the Book of Genesis Praying the Psalms Praying Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon Praying the Book of Job Praying the Gospels* Praying the Acts and General Epistles* Praying Paul’s Letters* Praying the Book of Revelation* Praying the New Testament (* joined into one volume) I’ve translated the Scriptures from the original text into modern English— thought for thought—and then turned each passage into a prayer to God. It’s a process I’ve called transliteration. To the first few volumes I’ve added footnotes and explanations to help readers with technical material. Later in the series I’ve incorporated technical backgrounds into stories that interpret the biblical passage for the
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Preface
readers. Read the story how Moses may have learned Jewish genealogy. If that is not the way it happened, then God revealed the information directly to him, as God revealed the story of Creation. The practical applications come in the prayers that are added. If you just read the Scriptures, then you only learn what God has said. But when you pray the Scriptures, you also involve your emotions and will. Praying the Bible stirs your emotions and commits your will to serve God. Isn’t that what the Bible is all about? As you read Praying Your Way Out of Bondage: Prayers From Exodus and Leviticus, may you experience your own deliverance from the bondage of sin and may you prepare to enter your personal Promised Land. Sincerely yours in Christ, Elmer L. Towns Written from my home at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains
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INTRODUCTION
C
RACK!
The elderly shepherd snapped to attention. He called out into the darkness, “Who’s there?” He heard nothing, so he got up to walk all the way around his sheep to make sure they were all safe. Seeing nothing, he went back to his warm fire. The elderly shepherd was completely exhausted; the fierce sun had sapped his strength, now he faced a frigid desert night. He just wanted to wrap up in his tunic and sleep. The long, dark shadows from the nearby mountains had covered him, everything was black. Moses knew he had to eat, so he had earlier built a small fire. It had been 20 years since Moses had fled Egypt with an arrest warrant on his head. Moses was no longer sleeping in a palace; tonight he would sleep on the ground between some rocks, out of the wind. Moses’ half brother Pharaoh Thutmosis III had sought to arrest Moses out of revenge because Moses had killed an Egyptian slave. Killing a slave should have been a little thing because the royal family condemned slaves to death all the time, but Thutmosis used Moses’ crime as an excuse to eliminate any threat to the throne after his father, Rameses II, died. There was no breeze that evening, so the smoke from the fire went straight into the sky—high enough to be seen a long way off. Unknown to Moses, an escaped Hebrew slave was trying to cross the Sinai Desert. Many had tried it, but most died in the desert. In the providence of God, this escapee saw the smoke and knew it was a sign of life. When the
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escapee got close enough to see the fire in the distance, he yelled out a greeting. It was dangerous walking into a shepherd’s fire unannounced. “SHALOM!” “What…?” Moses again snapped his head to listen. It was a dialect he recognized. He heard the Hebrew language, and he yelled back, “SHALOM.” After Moses greeted the escapee and heard the story of his escape, one old shepherd then fed an older escapee a simple shepherd’s meal. Then they sat around the fire to talk. It was then Moses noticed the unusual walking stick that the old man had. “What’s that carved in the staff?” Moses pointed to the intricate carvings—curious carvings—at the top of the 6-foot shepherd’s staff. “It’s the rod of God,” the older escapee answered. “How do you know it’s God’s rod?” Moses lifted an eyebrow as he asked the obvious question. The older man pointed to the top, “This has the genealogy of our people from Abraham to the present.” The palm of his hand caressed the signet at the very top of the rod. He whispered, “There’s Abraham’s signet, this rod belonged to Abraham.” It was as if the old man didn’t want anyone to hear him. “There’s Isaac’s…his birthright son’s signet is right below Abraham’s.” Then he pointed to Ishmael’s on the back of the rod, the son who did not receive the promises of God. Moses took the rod to finger each signet carefully. Because he knew the Hebrew language, he recognized the name of Jacob, and the twelve sons of Jacob’s small signets were all there. “Each of the twelve had his own signet rod to start a new family—a new tribe,” the old man said. “Where are these rods now?” Moses asked the elderly man. “Many are in Egypt with the families. A new name was added with each generation.”
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Introduction
“Are all twelve family rods in Egypt?” Moses asked. “No,” the old man shook his head and told the story that one of the twelve sons who came to Egypt with Jacob didn’t stay. “After a few years, Issachar left Egypt to go back and live in the desert. He lived in the land of Uz. He died, but his son Job lives there now. He’s the richest man in the area.” “I know that name,” Moses answered. “I’ve heard a man named Job lives a week’s journey from here.” Around the campfire that evening, Moses found out that Job possessed Issachar’s family rod but that he took great pride in family ancestry. Job had many of the records stretching for hundreds of years, all the way back to Adam. “I’ve heard stories about this Job,” Moses began to talk to the old man. “Soon I’m going to see if everything I’ve heard about him is true.” A Few Months Later When Moses first saw the house, it was the most beautiful thing he had seen in years—at least the most beautiful thing since he left the palace in Egypt. The path to the house was paved with tile, right through blowing sand—a tile path. Animals filled the pens, all symbolically in a row: cattle, sheep, and various other animals. Servants were scurrying around everywhere, carrying water, working with the animals. This is not a man’s home, thought Moses, this is a small city. When Moses saw the owner in the garden, Job, he saw that he stood erect but was short and bald with a wiry frame. There was a strong will living in his body, almost 200 years old. After greetings and an evening meal, Moses told Job why he had come. “I must know more about my heritage. I must know about our people.” Then Moses told Job about how God delivered him as a child. Job had heard this story of how Pharaoh was killing Hebrew babies, but a faith-
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ful Jewish mother hid Moses in a basket in the Nile River. Hatseput, the daughter of Pharaoh, found Moses and raised him as her own child. Moses told Job, “I was trained in all the wisdom and literature of Egypt, but I murdered a man and had to flee for my life.” Then Moses explained he had become a shepherd—hiding from Pharaoh—in the desert for approximately 20 years. Then it was time for Job to tell his story. God had prospered him, and he was rich, but not as rich as he was now. “I had a much smaller home, but one day satan entered Heaven to challenge my love for God.” Job explained that satan challenged God, “Take away all Job’s wealth, and he will curse You.” “God allowed satan to do that to me. I lost all my wealth…my home…my cattle…everything, yet I said, ‘The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord’ (Job 1:20-22). “Because satan couldn’t get me to deny my faith, he said to God that if he could take away my health, I would curse God to His face. I lost my health, but I did not curse God. I blessed Him.” Moses listened carefully to the story, asking questions to understand what happened. It was as though Moses wanted to know the story exactly so he could write it down. Then Job explained, “The end result is that God gave me more children, more wealth, and miraculously said that I would live twice the age of 70, my age when all my calamities happened. I am now 180 years old.” When Moses found out that Job had memorized the history of mankind as it had been told to him, he had not forgotten a single name; it was then Moses said, “You must tell me everything so I can write it down. We Jews cannot lose our past.” Moses went on to explain, “If God’s people—the Jews—do not remember how God has blessed us and led us in the past, then we won’t know how to live for Him in the future.”
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Introduction
Time is nothing to a shepherd; his sheep are everything. So Moses had time to listen to Job, and he wrote down everything he heard from the old patriarch. Later, Moses would have time to sit and write as he watched his sheep. But now at the dinner table, the moment was sacred. Moses wanted to learn everything he could about God and about His people. Moses was unaware that God was preparing him personally for what God wanted Moses to write. He wrote down the words of God. Thousands of years later Jesus would remind us Moses wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. Notes Notice how both Moses and his half brother, Thutmosis III, 1504-1450 B.C., have the name and the root Moses in their name—to draw up. Many have claimed Moses couldn’t write, but that’s not true. “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). Did you notice the part about Moses knowing words? It suggests he knew many languages. The Gospels declare Moses wrote Scripture (Matt. 19:7; Matt. 22:24; Mark 1:44; Mark 12:19,26; Luke 2:22; Luke 20:28,37; Luke 24:27; John 7:19,22; John 8:5).
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Exodus 1
ISRAEL
IN
EGYPT
These are the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each man brought his entire household with him: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. There were a total of 70 descendents; Joseph was already in Egypt. Joseph died as did all the other sons of that generation. The descendents of Israel were fruitful and multiplied abundantly and grew into a powerful minority, and the land became filled with them. A new king came into power who knew nothing about what Joseph did for the Egyptians. He said, “Look, the descendents of Israel are becoming too large and powerful for us. Let us deal wisely with them or they will continue to multiply and when war comes, they will join our enemies to fight against us.” So they put slave masters over the Israelites and forced them into slave labor. Israeli slaves built the cities of Pithom and Raameses. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied until the Egyptians hated and feared the Israelites. As a result, they worked them relentlessly. They had to dig clay, make bricks, and do all types of field work, because the Egyptians worked them mercilessly. The Egyptian king issued a decree to the Hebrew midwives, “Where you see a Hebrew woman giving birth, if it is a boy kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” The king had given the order to Shiphrah and Puah. But they were God fearers, so the order of the king
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was not carried out. The king summoned them and demanded, “Why are the boys allowed to live?” The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are stronger than the Egyptian women. When they go into labor, they give birth before the midwife arrives.” Lord, you prospered Israel and they continued to grow and became powerful. Because the midwives feared You, they became founders of families. Then Pharaoh commanded, “Throw every baby boy into the river that is born, but let the girls live.” Lord, satan has always hated the little children; When he can’t enslave their minds, he slaughters them. The abortion industry is evil and does satan’s work; I pray for children—born and unborn—to live And come to know You, and serve You. Amen.
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